From Seed To Store:
The lemon seed is small, and oval shaped with a point on one
end. Germination of these seeds occurs within the soil.
Once the seed absorbs moisture and swells, the radicle emerges
through the seed coat. The radicle is the first part of
the plant to emerge from the seed. After germ
ination these
is a long period of growth between the seedling stage and the
blossoming stage. The trees are typically four to five
meters tall. The lemon tree does not flower until it is at
least two years old. Flowering then occurs multiple times
a year. The flower buds of lemon trees are typically pink
and the open flowers are usually white.
When the flowers are open its time for pollination and fertilization to happen. Fertilization can either occur by insect pollination, self pollination or cross pollination. Once the fertilization occurs the petals and stamen of the flower fall off and the fruit starts to develop.
It takes about five to seven
months to grow a lemon. The amount of time it takes
depends on how soon the
producer plans on selling the fruit.
If the lemons are picked at approximately five months the
producer has more time to sell them since they need to ripen
before they are ready to be used. So a lemon picked at
five months will be green. However, if the lemon is
yellow, the outside is thin, smooth and fine grained the lemon
has reached maturity and need to be sold quicker. After
the lemons are harvested they are sold to stores and companies
for various reasons and the cycle starts all over again.
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